For something a little more formal and modern Cascades certainly gets the vote. Located in the Viceroy Bali, this award winning restaurant serves modern French-European cuisine. The menu is simple yet elegant and Chef Wayan executes it with great attention to detail. If you can’t decide what to have, go for the Degustation Menu. A six course tasting menu with a choice of mains, it was simply delightful and the wine pairing so nicely done and thought out. Our second course of pan-fried foie gras with exotic Balinese fruits and a red wine and grape reduction was just so seductive with its juxtaposition of rich creamy duck liver, robust flavors from the reduction and a refreshing lightness from the fruits.

If you do have the opportunity of staying at the Viceroy or even going there for breakfast, do have the scrambled eggs. It is the way, in my opinion, the way classic scrambled eggs should be done. Beaten with a whisk over a slow fire or bain-marie (hot water bath) the eggs were deliciously moist, soft and creamy. Served on toast it just oozes luxuriously as you take a bite into it.

If all this eating seems to heavy for you the River Café at the Maya Ubud Resort and Spa might just be the place for you. Supporting Maya Ubud’s excellent spa facilities located on the banks of the Petanu River the River Café serves spa cuisine. While many have likened spa food to being bland and tasteless, the culinary team at the Maya Ubud has carefully put together a menu of substance. Every dish has been balanced against calorie count, dietary requirements, flavor and taste. The chilled tomato, basil and ginger gazpacho with grilled prawn on lemon grass served for appetizers was just a piquant burst of flavors. On a hot day as the day we visited the spa it was the perfect way to start a meal. As the refreshing subtle play of flavors flow over the palate the main course of spiced grilled grouper fillet on lemon grass and sun-dried tomato couscous, cress salad and green lime pesto arrives. The grouper fillet taken from a thick cut was done perfect, with the accompanying pesto and couscous balancing out the meatiness of the fish.

Much has been said about the seafood in Bali. And while we turn our attention to the coastal area we head to Jimbaran, the place to go to for barbeque seafood in Bali. The Menaga Café is one of the most popular of warungs in Jimbaran. It is also one of the locations of the second bombing in Bali in 2005. While business has suffered before, Menega Café is now back with a vengeance. With a bountiful supply of fresh seafood from the nearby fish market and the smoldering whiff of dried coconut husk used to fuel the barbeque you know it’s going to be difficult to be disappointed here. Lobsters, prawns, squid, crab, clams and fish of almost all variety line up in tanks as you enter Menega. Everything is fresh and as you sit on the beach facing the cliffs of Uluwatu with the sound of the waves crashing nearby and looking out at the aircrafts landing at the airport nearby your food arrives, bathes in sambal and local bambu.

A personal favorite warung of mine in Kuta is Warung Batavia. The gado-gado here is exceptional as the sauce is made to fresh. On order, the staff will begin pounding the peanuts in a large flat mortar and slowly coaxing out the sauce as more and more ingredients are added. The level of spiciness is left entirely up to your palate. With the raw vegetables added it the whole dish is given one good mix and served with a helping of keropok. Wash this down with a hot glass of lemon grass and ginger tea and you would have one nice lunch.

In the evening, local street carts ply their trade along busy intersections where people rush home. Rojak, Indonesian stir-frys, nasi goreng, mie goreng, roti bakar, satay nasi jinko and martabak. Martabak (or mutarbak) in Singapore is prata pastry wrapped over spiced minced mutton and onions with egg, accompanied by a small bowl of curry gravy for you to dip into. In Bali, the martabak is filled with spring onions and egg. Fried till it’s crispy; it’s served with green chilli padi and mild pickled cucumbers. A fry cry from what we’re used to in the prata stalls of Singapore but still very good.

While having dinner at Nutmeg Restaurant at the Hu’u Bar, I was intrigue by Chef Abu Goh’s menu. Chef Abu originally from Singapore had added a Singaporean twang to his new menu. Nestled in his menu of well-balanced dishes full of character is an appetizer of Hainanese Chicken Terrine. Soul food. Comforting food for a traveller from Singapore. As familiarity strikes my palate with the texture of the soft chicken meat suspended in a jelly of it’s own stock, lingering in a chilli-lime dressing it just makes you miss home just that little bit for that bite of chicken rice.

Speaking of modernizing traditional foods, one of the most interesting if not better meals that I have had on this trip would be at Chandi, located in Seminyak. If you want to know how Indonesian food can be reinvented this is the place to be. The crunchy tofu squares give a new take on tahu goreng. The crisp batter surrounding the soft tofu marries well with the tamarind sauce. Like a match made in heaven this dish goes down well in preparation for the special of the day, spicy beef rending wrapped in martabak pastry. The side relish of cucumbers, chilli and onions in crème fraiche just contrasted so well with the heady spiciness of the rendang. As they say here, “Enak!”. Along with modernizing local dishes Chandi also has a good serving of organic wines and coffee.

As I sat in a small blue shack across the road from La Luciolla in Seminyak, passing time while waiting to head to the airport. I find myself smiling at a bowl of rich broth of chicken, chopped tomatoes, sliced cabbage and rice vermicelli. Ibu Dewi’s soto ayam has that effect on me. It’s magical, just like the island of Bali. And it’s with this realization that I know that this is probably the best way for me to end this culinary journey.

That is of course, till the next time!

For Transport arrangement:

Mr Ngurah Tilem (Gusti)
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Tel: +62 (0) 81337677174

Text and Photography by Desmond Foo. All Rights reserved.